Mini Bathtub for HDB : Dec-09

During one of my lunch talk when we were discussing about how Koreans maintained their health by soaking themselves in hot-bath, I was wondering if there was any portable, small and cheap bathtub suitable for our little bathroom. Thus, I started surfing around, but after many hours of 'drilling', the success rate was actually pretty low. Most bathtubs are not portable or if they were, their length were rather long. The closest i got to was a wooden bathtub, which was small but pricey ($900), and it may not be good to have wood inside a Singapore's bathroom where humity was extremely high. I was about to give up my crazy idea when my last attempt to google the images of a HDB bathtub got a result of a list of small fibreglass SPA tubs. And even to my pleasant surprise it was a shop in Singapore selling this. Without much hestation, I rang the shop to quote for the price and it was $200! Hahaha... so here we got; a small, portable and cheap bathtub. The kids are close to disbelief when i told them that i got a bathtub, nevertheless, they were the ones who enjoyed the tub the most!

Potluck @ Mummy's : Dec-09

Since Mummy began her battle with breast cancer, various positive functions and Buddhist gods have appeared in her life to assist her in her battle.. giving emotional, spiritual and even physical support at different times. Two such kind souls who have constantly been by her side are Lin Yin 阿姨 and Poh Ta 姨丈. At every important juncture where a decision has to be made on Mummy's cancer treatment, they are there to offer invaluable advice and support. Not only that, they often fill Mummy's spare time with healthy mahjong, at the same time creating much fun and laughter in the house. Aunty Lin Yin is actually Mummy's sister, and with this acknowledgment, all of Aunty Lin Yin's sisters and brothers suddenly became Mummy's too.

This is the very first time where most of Mummy's 'long-lost' siblings get together to meet Mummy. Some nephews who are keen to meet their 四姨 were also present. Obviously, Mummy's biological family was a big one and my grandparents there actually gave birth to 17 or 18 children altogether!! So although Mummy was No. 9 amongst them, most of the Aunts and Uncles present are actually younger than Mummy except for 大姨 and 大舅.

X'mas Eve Dinner : Dec-09

Normally during X'mas, we'll just buy some litte presents for the gals and enjoy the public holidays. This year we decided to do something different, we'll cook a X'mas feast! So Shin Yang and myself pop-by NTUC supermarket to get some food and we started to allocate tasks. I'll BBQ the prawns & meat, Shin Yang cook the corn-soup, mama prepare the crabs and veg and the kids prepare the fruits and desserts. The entire experience turned out to be fun and rewarding, it's just like having another reunion dinner. However, I was so exhausted after the whole thing, cooking is really not easy stuff.

A nice X'mas gift : Dec-09

When some of my UK team members were in Singapore helping me out in my project, I'd bought some small gifts for their kids to 'compensate' for having their dad was away from them. In return, I'd received a pleasant video clip with their kids saying thank you and wishing me a merry x'mas. It was indeed a pleasant surprise to be able to see the kids.

Tour Bus Trip to Orchard Road : Dec-09

While shopping at Metro a few months ago, Shin Yang and Mummy managed to secure 8 free tickets to a ride to Orchard Road to view the X'mas lightings.

The day had quickly arrived and we broaded the top-less bus to the super-crowded part of Singapore, Orchard Road. The lights are very impressive, as well as the human and traffic jams.

Children's Party : Dec-09

Once every two years, my company will organise a party for the children of the employees; to celebrate year-end as well as X'mas. This is Qi's fourth and last time attending this party and for the first time this year, En'en is also able to join in the fun.

The party theme this year is "Camp GSK", where there are multiple stations for the kids to role play a vocation. The kids got the chance to become an artist, policeman, scientist, doctor, chef and musician. Each station will provide the kids with a small task to complete.

Overall, the kids have a great time. Qi and Xuan got first in their respective age group and En'en got so tired after so much activities that she just felt asleep on the hotel's sofa.

A Fruitful Afternoon @ Pasir Ris Park : Dec-09

Our family has never been the very outdoor-ish kind and seldom engage in sporty activities. Cycling to the girls, has always been playing on the tricycle when they were younger and pedalling on the 4-whkneel training bicycle when they got older. The girls have also no urge to learn cycing until they saw their cousins pedalling away effortlessly on the two-wheeled during the last chinese new year.

Despite the girls' enthusiasm for this cycling outing on a weekday, getting the girls to cycle after we were there was no mean feat. First, there was the sunny weather; then they could not pedal fast or long enough before they screamed i'm-tired and refuse to pedal further. And of course, there were the usual falling off the bikes and scratches and dark marks on legs. After much coaxing, negotiating, threatening and cajoling, the girls were finally enjoying their ride.

After a long while of pedalling on the tandem bicyle and a break at the playground, Qiqi was finally able to pedal the tandem bicycle away all by herself! She got so excited that she immediately wanted to return to the bicycle stall to change for a two-wheeler. Well, she got her wish and before long, she was happily pedalling away all by herself. Although her bicycle had an affinity to the lamposts and dustbins along the way, that was all part of the learning-to-cycle process I thought. I was very proud of her and at the end of the 2 hours, we all had a good time, lots of vitamin D and a good appetite for a late lunch!

Trey's first movie on sale : Dec-09

I was walking around in CD Rama when something familar caught my eyes, my bro-in-law's first movie was on sale!  It was proud to see a family member's achievement, and to share the joy and success, i took one without hesitation and bought it.  The gals were delighted to see their uncle on a DVD coverpage, and they'll be asking for his autograph very soon...

Jurong Bird Park : Dec-09

Since together for so many years, Shin Yang and myself have never been to the Jurong Bird Park. This is our first time visiting the Park as a family and it is a family for FIVE! Instead of taking the tram, we decided to have a good slow walk around the Park, resting frequently to enjoy the scenery. After a few hours, the first to wear-out is En'en, who woke up earlier than her sisters to remind me of the outing!

Standard Chartered Run : Dec-09

This was probably one of our main highlight of this year, the Standard Chartered 10 km run. We had registered this event many months ago and had been jogging regularly for this event. This was the longest distance i had run so far and man, it was really a far way to jog! All in all, the event was fun with so many people joining in and we managed to complete in 1hr25mins, not too bad for a start.

Xuan Xuan, the flower girl - Dec-09

A few months ago, I had received a phone call from Xuan's baby-sitter. Since they had moved away from our block, it had been six years since we contacted each other. It was a nice surprise, and even better, she called to inform that her son, Jeffrey, was getting married soon. This news sounded special to me, 'coz the boy whom i used to give tuition to 18 years ago, was forming his family! Then while talking, a special request was made, they wanted Xuan Xuan to be his flower girl on his big day! Xuan did not hesitate much in giving her help, i guessed it is also a small gesture of paying back a little gratitude to her baby-sitter.

Snow City : Nov-09

Since primary 3 (for more than 2 years!), Qiqi had been bugging me to bring her to the Snow City. I din oblige mainly because i'd got feedback that the Snow City ain't value for the money. However, Qiqi's persistence did not fade away over the years and finally for this holiday, I promised to bring them there.

I got my company's Science centre friends' card to get some discounts into the Snow City and after preparing ourselves for about 15 minutes, we were ready for some icy actions. Entering into Snow City, we were surprised by how small the place was, we could cover the place within 5 mins! The good thing was that the gals enjoyed the cold temperature and the snow slope which they could slide down. We barely stayed there for 30 mins, a damage for $50, mainly to clear the 'bug' away from me...

Xuan's academic results for P2 : Nov-09

Xuanxuan has a very good form teacher this year and thoroughly enjoyed all his classes. She often repeats his jokes in class to us and also says he taught them beyond the school syllabus; she has learned so much more because of Mr Khoo. Xuan has always been conscientious in her school work and usually studied her Spelling and 听写 on her own. When she was tasked in class to identify the noise-makers because she was one of the better-behaved students, she took her responsibility very seriously and brought her notebook everywhere. Similarly when she was made her group leader mid-term, she was very proud of her role and helped the weaker classmates in her group. When I met up with her teachers mid-year, I was pleasantly surprised that her teachers have absolutely nothing negetive to feedback to me!

We were very glad and relieved Xuan has settled in so well in her new class this year. That was not all; she even bettered herself in terms of results this year by being second in class and third in level for her Chinese language! (she was third in class last year) She has received 2 awards this year! Isn't it amazing?

Visit to Upper Pierce : Nov-09

The gals had just completed their final 2009 exams and it's time to go out to get some sun and have a good walk. En'en had never been to the upper pierce, so we decided to venture there to see if we could let En'en see some monkeys. With no disappointment, there are plenty of monkeys all around and En'en is excited seeing them! The sun is pretty and the scenery is beautiful, we are so glad to have our lovely Sunday morning at Upper Pierce.

Qiqi's Birthday : Nov-09

Our biggest baby turned 11 this year! She had since grew tall, and i'm sure she'll overtake Shin Yang soon.



Qiqi had requested me to design a treasure hunt on her birthday this year. So i bought some little presents and hid them at 5 spots. She was still ok at her first clue but subsequently started to ask help from everyone. She was so tired after the hunt... :P

Xuan completeing her elementary children's art : Nov-09

Xuan had started her art course at NAFA almost the same time we had started our family blog. After starting her elementary course for almost two years, she had recieved her certification of completion, a milestone for her to advance to the next level of her interest.

We have always been proud and enjoyed every single Xuan's art piece. We are sure to have the privileges to keep enjoying this more & more in the future. Keep it up, Xuan!

En'en contacted HFMD : Nov-09

One of the scariest disease a toddler or infant could contact is probably Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease (HFMD). Early this week, En'en got it! The sores on her hands and legs were still manageable, it was the multiple ulcers in her mouth which were unbearable.

I had never seen En'en so grumpy before... she not only screamed and scolded everyone but also cried during her meals and in between her sleep. We were prepared to spend a good few sleepless nights taking care of her. Fortunately with the tender loving care from En'en's babysitter and also En'en's resilience, she was able to get overcome this HFMD surprisingly fast. Everyone was relieved that our youngest princess was back to her norm now... :-)

Energetic En'en@amusement park : Nov-09

It was less than half an hour at the amusement park and En'en could make me so tired. I was perpetually chasing after her from one station to another... Her energy was powerful, and seemed limitless, emitting waves after waves... i wondered where they came here.

It was only when we were returning home, En'en fell asleep in the car within seconds... after all, she's our little baby using all her energy enjoying the things she liked, and not realising how exhausted she already was... so sweet.

3rd Anniversary of Soka Women Glorious Victory Day : Nov-09

Weeks ago, Mummy has told me to dress nice-nice for this meeting so that the three of us - Jiun, Mummy & I could take a nice-nice picture after the meeting. As this day drew nearer, things began to look gloomy. Though Mummy still looked gorgeous, those who know her would realize that she's hardly dressing her best. Nevertheless, being reunited with Angela, our childhood friend, was a cheery occasion.

This day also serves to re-ignite our determination for another total victory for Mummy. YES, MUST BE VICTORIOUS!! All of us!

Sensei's Article : What is Happiness? : Nov-09

Words of Wisdom by Philosopher Diasaku Ikeda : Short Essays : What is Happiness?

What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.

Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness really is.

A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she first thought about happiness she saw it as a matter of becoming financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society then was that happiness for a woman was only to be found in marriage.) But looking at friends who were married, she realized that marriage didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.

She saw couples who had been passionately in love suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had married men with money or status but who fought constantly with their husbands.

Gradually, she realized that the secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin. She saw that happiness for anyone - man or woman - does not come simply from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins with having the strength to confront and conquer one's own weaknesses. Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy a successful marriage.

She finally told me, "Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life."

I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.

Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us. Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality - the amount of energy or "life-force" we have - is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.

True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you don't challenge your weaknesses and change yourself from within. Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another. This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is truly happy.

The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For someone who has not trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every inch of the climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same climb, however, will be a thrilling journey for someone who is prepared, whose legs and arms have been strengthened by constant training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come into sight.

My teacher used to talk about two kinds of happiness - "relative" and "absolute" happiness. Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family, surroundings, the size of our home or family income.

This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters easily when external conditions alter.

Relative happiness is also based on comparison with others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a newer or bigger home than the neighbors. But that feeling turns to misery the moment they start making new additions to theirs!

Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by trials and where just being alive is a source of great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only exist in the innermost reaches of our life, and which cannot be destroyed by any external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.

This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best. Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated result of such efforts is a life of great victory.

What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We should compare who we are today against who we were yesterday, who we are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement. And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.

One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia Satz, who founded the first children's theater in Moscow. In the 1930s, she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of Siberia.

After she recovered from the initial shock, she started looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity. She realized that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and talents. She began organizing a "university," encouraging the prisoners to share their knowledge. "You. You are a scientist. Teach us about science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art."

In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually, Mrs. Satz even made use of her own unique talents to organize a theater group. She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the rest of her long life to creating children's theater. When we met for the first time in Moscow in 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was as radiant and buoyant as a young girl. Her smile was the smile of someone who has triumphed over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on "Happiness":

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.

Link http://www.ikedaquotes.org/what-is-happiness.html

First computer art-piece - 嗔 (Rage) : Nov-09

It started off with a thought to draw something on my long 'shelfed' sketch book.. So i sketched an angry eye and filled it with the magic inks.

On the sketch book


I wasn't too satisfied with my sketch... Then i recalled during my army days, how we were using typewriters to type letters and how inreversible they are.... when computer with wordperfect was introduced later, it brought wonderful surprises to everyone... work were then able to be saved, reversed, erased.... and things just got easier, quicker and more perfect.

So I scanned this sketch into the computer, get a stylus pen and an artist software, and started to work on my very first computer art piece. It wasn't as difficult as i thought, and with the beauty of computer, i was able to reverse any single error and made the work more perfect. I thought the outcome was definitely many times better than the one i got on my sketch book.. :P

Computer art piece - Rage

Rage - The Daishonin wrote "Hell is a dreadful dwelling of fire" ("Letter to Niike", WND, pg 1026), and those who reside there experience pain and suffering, as if dwelling in the midst of fire. Also, in the above passage, he wrote, "Rage is the world of Hell." Rage here is characterized as frustration over one's complete loss of control as well as an extreme hatred for one's surroundings; this only intensifies an indivdual's suffering. Doomed to a constant state of agony, those in the world of hell can do nothing except wallow in their rage. The world of hell, then, is one of unmitigated misery, and whatever one experiences in that state only adds to his or her suffering.

Halloween Card for our members : Oct-09

Tagging along with Halloween, Shin Yang once again exercised her fantastic creativity to create a card to encourage our district members. This has been a while since we had our district meetings, and it was difficult to keep in touch with our members and their faith. Shin Yang had always been so committed to design these cards as personal as possible.. not only that, she had actually stayed up the entire night to prepare these cards to be sent out by Halloween. Her spirit of Kosen-Rufu is so impressive...

Ling's Birthday : Oct-09

The final quarter of the year arrived and Shin Yang celebrated her birthday in October again. This year, although we had 'simplified' the celebbration, En'en was very participative and 'seriously' involved during these celebrations.

En'en dancing to the beat : Oct-09

This clip confirms how the sense of rhythm flows in En'en's blood. Just observes the variety of dance patterns she could invent, her speed, her intensity blending into the drum beats... such beautiful instinct possessed by her.

On a PSLE Marking Day : Oct-09

Chinese New Year comes early!! Well, if you can eat your favourite CNY goodie all year round, wouldn't it be like Chinese New Year all year round too? That might juz happen if i can master the skills! ;)

Mama's limited edition pineapple tarts cooked almost from scratch - we bought 5 pineapples and a packet of pineapple paste and came up with about 3 tubs of our family favourite goodies. Look at the tartlets, don't they simply look inviting and delicious??

Adding to the occasion, we also baked a beetroot cake - a pretty healthy one with lots of beetroot, dried cranberries, dried apricot, raisins and olive oil.

Phew~~ that used up a couple of packets of your flour, dear Nancy! ;)

风之画员 : Oct-09

Victor and I don't watch a lot of Korean drama but for a few months, we have been following the Sunday 10:30pm weekly Korean-serial timeslot. I am so captivated by the current Korean serial, 风之画员, that after watching it on tv last night, I have been thinking about it the whole of today! It is a period drama like 大长金, and evolve around the artists/painters in the palace. The master and disciple bond between the two main characters is very touching; the unsurpassed talent each possess, the righteousness they share, the selfless unyielding trust they have in each other against all odds..

师弟不二的祈求与出发 : Oct-09

Some of Sensei's recent encouragement shared with us during the leaders meeting..

Enen's YiLin Jeje's 21st Birthday : Oct-09

Have i ever exclaimed how wide Enen's social circle is? Have i also ever exclaimed how her wide circle has extended ours too? Well, this is really another testimony.. ;)

Yilin has invited Enen and family to her 21st birthday.. a Piglet birthday actually.. ;) The cake is so gorgeous!

Farewell Hi-tea for Dear Nancy : Oct-09

Having been with PD since the WDs took over in 2003, Aunty Nancy is one of the pioneering Sunshine Auntys in Hougang still in PD. Time flies and seven years has passed. I'm sure Aunty Nancy would not have graduated if her family does not have to relocate to Guangzhou.. As a heavy-heavy-duty contributor, especially in the special PDA project at the end of every year, she'll definitely be missed dearly.. not forgetting she also feeds us regularly during our monthly study review meetings at Kristie's place..

So a part-1 farewell hi-tea was held for her, and what's a farewell without a farewell gift right? Here's what we prepared for her part-1.. ;)

Attending a Athletic Association Anniversay : Oct-09

An alumni friend had sponsored a table for Khoon Yew Athletic Association Anniversay and kindly invited us to attend as part of our gathering. It had been a while since i attended such dinner and was glad to watch some good performances from the association. More importantly was the time where some good friends could meet up together and share their happenings, something priceless and to be cherished.

Three powerful enemies 三类强敌 : Oct-09

Click on picture to read

Mr Gan's Full Testimonial @ Zone Meeting: Oct-09

This is the full version of Mr Gan's testimonial during September's zone discussion meeting. He related his past few months' experience before and after he began chanting with such sincerity that I believe very few in the room were not touched by him.

He was in such advanced stage of pancreatic cancer just half a year ago that his doctors and nurses called his present health state a miracle! Watch the clip to see for yourself.. :))

Part 1

Part 2

Our mooncake manufacturer : Oct-09

After Aunty Nancy had imparted her mooncake ‘内功’to Shin Yang, Shin Yang cannot wait to test out her 功夫. In no time after she ‘下山’, she was running all over Singapore to get her necessary ingredients and tools to start her mooncake manufacturing.

Her manufacturing process was almost 'out-of-control', she went on full afternoon and night shift for 3 days and even exploited "child-labour", working up to 1am! Qi and Xuan enjoyed the process utterly, Xuan even took out her note book to try to steal some of the secret "Aunty Nancy Recipe".

Shin Yang's hard work did not get wasted. For the first time after so many years, we have our own home-made mooncakes as gifts for our friends and relatives. We gave out in total 13 boxes of mooncakes! and that is 104 mooncakes!

Not only the numbers was amazing, the feedbacks were positive and encouraging. I am so proud of her... and she's already planning for next year's production!

Eunos Zone Discussion Meeting : Sep-09

For many months since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus, we do not have meetings. We have finally resumed some now but the discussion meetings are held at zone level and minimal preparation is required at the district (can't speak for the chapter la..) level. Nevertheless, our chapter has been tasked to run this zone meeting this month, so almost everyone who took to the stage, from the emcees to the speakers are familiar faces to our Eunos West members.

The wonderful benefit shared by Mr Gan is indeed the pride of our district and chapter leaders as we personally witnessed how he transformed from a sickly cancer-striken patient to someone who walks faster than us, laughs louder than us and whose eyes sparkle brighter than ours!

We enjoyed this meeting more than last month's. Hahaa.. .. guess being involved in the prep helps! ;)

En'en with our gadgets : Sep-09

At her age of two, i am impressed with En'en's ability to use the various gadgets at home. First is the telephone, she communicates well on the telephone, talking almost anything in her mind. Then comes the ipod touch which she navigates so well and is able to get to the applications, music and videos which she likes. Amazing isn't it? The worst thing is she seems to be starting to get addicted to the ipod touch now! Gonna start some counselling session with her soon... :-)

Publicity Shot for Creative Life : Sep-09

If this is the first and only publication En'en wants to lay her hands on in the morning, surely it must have great appeal isn' it? Absolutely right!! From it you will not only learn about the great mystic law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, it also has applicable and inspiring stories of your next-door-like people who won over their challenges in life to emerge as victors and masters of their own fates.

Wish for Mooncake Festival Fulfilled, Afterall : Sep-09

Ever since I've been learning how to cook and wanting to cook healthier meals for my family, I harboured the wish to prepare for my family, actually for myself, one of my favourite festive food of the year - the mooncake.

Although there is no public holiday to mark the occasion, the Mid Autumn Festival is one of my favourite times of the year. I simply love mooncakes, be it the traditional baked ones or the colorful and full-of-surprises snowskin ones. If you leave mooncakes in my house, sooner or later but surely, they will all be devoured by yours truly me, even if the rest of the family won't lay a finger on them because they are so sweet and so fattening.. To me, they are simply divine and so irresistible!

As the festival draws near and without ample preparation time, I thought I would have to wait till next year to accomplish my wish. But an enthusiastic and veteran baker - Aunty Nancy, 'jio' me to join her! Boy, am I excited!! Though Nancy claimed to be inexperienced too and has just learned from the more experienced bloggers, I am absolutely sure she has done her homework thoroughly and we were using only the most delicious and tested-and-tried recipes and method! Oh ya, Nancy's Princess Chloe was a great help as she is even more experienced than me. She even let me tried her rainbow 7-up snowskin mooncakes which were very yummy! ;) The unusual piglets were the brainchild of both Chloe and Qiqi.. I had a great time! Can't wait to do it all over again before this year's Mooncake Festival is over. And oh oh, did I mention that every single of the mooncake has a piece of gold.. golden eggyolk in it? That's the beauty - you get to put your favourite ingredient anywhere and everywhere you like! .. even in the snowskin ones!! ;P Hmm.. maybe I can attempt to cook my own lotus paste next year?

"My imaginary buildings" : Sep-09

My art teacher showed us a little show in youtube of a cat trying to catch the moon and a famous artist's drawings of funny buildings that people live in! They are in Austria.

So she wanted us to do something similar, so we tried and here is mine.

Mummy's Birthday Dinner : Sep-09

Since cancer was found again in the lymph nodes on her neck, Mummy has quit eating all the unhealthy so-called sumptuous fare that we people indulge ever so frequently and readily. Nonetheless, Mummy treated us all to a decadent and elaborate dinner on her 63rd birthday.

Even at the dinner, Mummy had been thankful that her life has been extended by more than 20 years due to the power of the Mystic Law, and that she would have no regrets if indeed her mission in this lifetime has come to an end. However two nights later as she was chanting, a strong determination surged - she wants to recover, for 100% she wants to recover! With this strong conviction and determination, I am sure Mummy will be victorious! I am sure this is not mere coincidence that Mummy has also just completed her very first million-daimoku campaign! Yipee!! :)))

See how all got so high during the dinner!? ;)

Family Infernal Affair : Sep-09

Our very own "infernal affair"...

En'en first swimming experiences : Sep-09

Recently Shin Yang had bought 2 swimsuits for En'en thou she has never joined us for a dip in the pool. Qi and Xuan were excited and longed about playing with En'en in the pool, and since it's school holidays now, we decided to bring En'en for her first experience. Unfortunately I came home a bit late in the evening but we still decided to proceed with our plan. Even En'en herself cannot wait to go into the pool for her very first time. Night had fallen and probably the water was too cold for En'en to take it, she surrendered in less than 5 minutes.



We tried again two days later, this time together with the good morning sun. En'en was able to enjoy more and stayed in the water for about 1/2 hr, walking almost everywhere around the children's pool.

En'en 拜拜 : Sep-09

After being with 珍姐奶奶 for almost 2 years, Enen's 珍姐奶奶 has brought her almost everywhere.. Take a look at Enen's natural reaction and you would know a place she frequents...

En'en snatching Xuan's bear : Sep-09

This is the first few video trails on the new Canon HF200 videocam... Watch how mischievous En'en is when she snatched over Xuan's bear.

Our new toy, Canon videocam : Sep-09

After using our Panasonic videocam for the past 10 years, it had finally given way. When we watched back all the lovely memories, we had never regretted buying that videocam . Hence, we din hesitate much to start sourcing for another for replacement.

I have been asking around before deciding on this Canon, HF200. The guy from Alan photo recommends this as it runs on SD card system, has good video image, good lens and most imptly, good price. Have not really try it out yet, but the price in Alan is actually more than $200 cheaper than in AudioHouse! Will soon be posting up some video shots...

Xuanxuan's 1st Brownie Badge : Sep-09

For a good half year, our little Tweenie Xuanxuan has been working hard at her 16 tasks so as to earn herself a badge and be promoted to a Brownie.

Well, at her first September Brownie meeting today, she was officially promoted! Hehee.. now can eat with ice-cream liao! Yummy yummy!! ;)

Qiqi's Commendable Efforts for Teacher's Day : Sep-09

Since Qiqi has developed an interest in baking cookies earlier this year, I suggested that she puts her interest to good use and bake some cookies for her teachers instead of buying some useless gifts this Teacher's Day. So she gathered her good friend, Melissa, over to do it together! Angela was supposed to come but alas! she could not make it last minute. So Melissa and Qiqi baked some 'Melting Moments' (aka sugee biscuits) and chocolate oat cookies for their teachers and family under the supervision of Ah Mah.

Not bad, the cookies did end up with their teachers eventually, even Mdm Han. Her papa was not so encouraging though, he asked the girls not to poison their teachers! ;)

My grey hair : Aug-09

Running within the Koh family, is our characteristic of having grey hair. The funny thing about this family gene is that only the male family members will have the 'good fortune' to inherit it.

And so, 4 hair cuts after my last dye, i was able to reveal all my grey hair i have. My recent decision in not dyeing my hair stirred many interesting responses among friends and family. Some have asked me why i had chosen to look so old when i'm not; some have admired my 'ash' color hair; some just stared so long at my hair before they asked "what happened?"; some like the 'fashion'; some encouraged me for not using the dye chemical; my hair-dresser commented "i doubt you could endure this for long", and another hair-dresser friend even seems very keen to immediately 'soaked' my head into pail of color.

Anyway, i feel fun about this little initiative because i am able to observe the variety of perspectives people could have over a single thing. To me, dyeing back my hair is just an hour job and i could do almost anytime i like, but to be able to observe so many responses? Like mastercard says, "Priceless".

大姨丈's 76th Birthday : Aug-09

We were glad to be invited to celebrate 姨丈's 76th birthday over this weekend. 大姨and大姨丈are a amazing couple. They have 6 children whom all got married, so 6x2=12; and from there the numbers kept increasing... so it's a good 2+12+2+2+3+2+3+2=28! Not only is the number great, their family bond is even more impressive. This so wonderful to see such lovely family all together celebrating and we're lucky to be a part of them in joining the fun.

Action City's Advertisements : Aug-09

Qi and Xuan are excited watching these advertisements starring their uncle. Xuan especially enjoys her uncle's facial expressions and has kept asking me to watch them.

Part 1

Part 2

我们家里的大坏人 : Aug-09

"Time for ACTION!"

Xuan Xuan's Birthday ~ 18th Aug : Aug-09

Our dearest Xuan Xuan had turned eight. This year, she had En'en to stay by her side all the way... while singing the song, blowing the candles, cutting the cake, opening the presents... Xuan had also requested for multiple presents so that she could open piece by piece days before her birthday arrived. We had tried our best to make her day an enjoyable one, everything worth for this sweet and hardworking princess.

许师傅的无影手 : Aug-09

Mummy's Birthday ~ 13th Aug : Aug-09

Mummy turned 63 this month and we celebrated with the usual birthday cake. What is unusual this year is that we have bought her a chocolate cake - a deep brown very chocolatey-looking chocolate cake!

Mummy has been a very good girl after the doctor discovered cancer again in her lymph nodes on her neck three months after her mastectomy. She has completely abstained from eating cancer-aggravating food, and in fact all her usual food to stop her cancer from spreading. This chocolate cake was also to encourage her to stay that way as she had a very unpleasant experience with chocolate cakes and since then has never eaten another chocolate cake!!?